Japan to decommission first reactor

30 October 2001


The Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) filed a report with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on 4 October detailing its plans to dismantle and decommission the 166MWe Magnox Tokai 1.

Tokai 1 was taken out of service in March 1998 after 32 years of operation, because of its high operating and maintenance costs. JAPC’s plan is for 10 years of preparatory work and removal of auxiliary facilities, followed by dismantling of the unit in 2011.

Work will be in three phases:

• 2001-2005. Preparatory work and draining/washing of the spent fuel cooling pool. Removal of turbines.

• 2006-2010. Auxiliary facilities to be removed.

• 2011-2017. Main body of reactor and reactor building to be dismantled and removed.

It is not yet known where or how the waste will be stored. The Japanese Parliament approved a Geological Disposal Act in May 2000 that mandates vitrification, surface cold storage for 30-50 years, and finally burial at least 300m below ground.



Privacy Policy
We have updated our privacy policy. In the latest update it explains what cookies are and how we use them on our site. To learn more about cookies and their benefits, please view our privacy policy. Please be aware that parts of this site will not function correctly if you disable cookies. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy unless you have disabled them.